


The Nights Are The Worst

by Cat2000



Category: The Greatcoats Series - Sebastien de Castell
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:33:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27285724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cat2000/pseuds/Cat2000
Summary: Disclaimer: I don’t own anything from the book series The Greatcoats and I’m not making any money from this ficSummary: Falcio has nightmares. Kest has a somewhat unconventional way of helping with those
Relationships: Kest Murrowson/Falcio val Mond
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	The Nights Are The Worst

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NewEyes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NewEyes/gifts).



> Warning(s): Spoilers for the first two books in the Greatcoats series; AU; sexual situations between two men; some references to violence and poisoning
> 
> Pairing: Kest/Falcio

When he woke, it was to sweat pouring down his face. His whole body was shaking and his mouth was open. No sound was escaping, though. His throat hurt and when he tried to speak, the only words he could form came out in a hoarse croak.

Someone was in the room with him and Falcio jerked his body upright, reaching automatically for his sword and drawing it. He gained his feet in the same motion, his movements not as graceful as they could have been. But he was on his feet and his sword was held ready in front of him. It was better than the normal position he found himself in when he woke up in the mornings. Maybe it was something to think about.

“You were screaming in your sleep.”

It took Falcio’s vision longer to resolve itself than he would have liked, but he relaxed as he recognised the familiar voice. “Kest. You should know better than to sneak in here while I’m sleeping. What if I’d reacted before seeing it was you?”

“I’ve been trying to wake you up for at least an hour,” Kest answered. “You were too deeply asleep to respond to me.”

Falcio stared at his friend and slowly loosened his hold on his sword. He put it away and sank down onto the mattress. “Are you the only one who heard me?”

“No. But I’m the only one who came to check on you. Brasti wanted to come in as well, but I talked him out of it.”

“He can’t have truly wanted to come and see how I am,” Falcio replied. “I don’t think either of us could really talk him out of doing something he truly wants to do.”

“Of course not.” Kest smiled briefly. “But he was worried too. And if I hadn’t insisted on coming, he would have instead.” He walked over and sat down on the mattress next to Falcio, close enough for their shoulders to brush against each other. “Why don’t we talk about this?”

“I can think of plenty of reasons why not,” Falcio replied. “Right at the top of the list, I _really_ don’t want to.”

Kest nodded. “So talking about it isn’t an option. How about wearing you out? So that you’re too exhausted to dream.”

“I _have_ been exhausted. To the point of nearly dropping asleep on my feet by the end of the day. Unless you want to get me so drunk, I can’t tell my ass from my elbow, I don’t think there’s much you can do to wear me out enough not to dream.”

“It’s worth trying,” Kest replied. “Besides. I need to get my training in. Now that I’m the Saint of Swords, I can’t afford to let my skills get rusty.”

Falcio glanced at his friend’s face and then away again. He didn’t say the words out loud, but he and Brasti had talked about the effects becoming a Saint had had on Kest. Most of the time, he was Kest; the best swordsman Falcio had ever known. But they’d noticed some other force that had taken him over. Driving him towards a fight that he might not have taken in the past.

They sat in silence for a few moments before Kest said, “I know you’re both worried about me.”

“Do _you_ want to talk about it?” Falcio asked.

Kest breathed in deep. “I don’t even know how to explain it fully,” he admitted. “Sometimes it feels like I’m losing myself. Other times, it’s like I’m being pushed back from my own mind. As if something else wants to take over and force me to throw myself into battle with the strongest foe. No matter what I might personally want.”

“Do you really think training will help you figure that out?”

“I think I’m not likely to lose myself when _we’re_ sparring,” Kest replied. “But then again, I already know how many moves it’ll take me to beat you.”

“If you know _that_ , then what’s the point in us sparring?” Falcio shook his head. “Besides it being something I don’t want to do.”

“Well. There’s another way that can tire you out. Not sparring or drinking.”

“And that would be?”

“Sex.” Kest paused, long enough for the word to sink in, and then continued, “Rough and dirty, can’t walk right after it’s finished sex.”

Falcio laughed. He couldn’t help it. “Who are you suggesting I have sex with, Kest? There’s no one suitable around.”

“I’m talking about me.”

The response left Falcio speechless for a few seconds. Finally, he said, “I know you’ve been joking around a lot more, Kest, but I’ve got to say, this isn’t funny.”

“I’m not joking.”

“You want to have sex with me.”

“I think it’ll tire you out,” Kest answered. “I think you need to sleep. I think you need true rest. This isn’t the first time you’ve woken everyone up with your screaming. It doesn’t happen often, but I thought that if there are signs to watch out for during the day, then we know what needs to happen at night.”

Falcio moved along the mattress, away from Kest, so that he was no longer touching his friend. Unable to shake the feeling that the other man was joking…that this was another strange aspect to his friend that came from killing the past Saint of Swords…he thought about laughing it off. Rolling over and going back to sleep. And then, of course, in the morning, the poison coursing through his veins would paralyse him once more. Really, nightmares were the least of the problems he had to deal with. “If I agree to this, what’s your plan? Do you have the supplies we would need?” He glanced sideways at Kest, meeting his friend’s eyes.

Kest leaned forward and kissed his lips, swift and hard, before he pulled back slightly. “I’m prepared with what we need.”

Taking a slow, deep breath, Falcio raised his fingers to his lips and brushed lightly over them. The kiss had been over before he had a true chance to react or respond. He frowned as Kest stood and walked towards the door. “Where are you going?”

“I thought we’d start off with a sparring session. Not to the extent of tiring ourselves out, but as foreplay, you might say.” Kest opened the door. “I’ll meet you outside. If you decide this is worth trying out, at least.” He slipped out of the room.

Falcio stared at the door, wondering what his next step should be. Was Kest right? Would hard, rough sex help him to settle enough to sleep without nightmares? But he was considering having sex with his best friend…and that would change things. Because it wouldn’t be a casual, one-time thing if this did happen. If it _worked_ , then it would happen again and again. _And it was Kest_. Sex with his best friend wouldn’t be a simple, casual event.

Maybe the best thing was to try to go back to sleep. If he didn’t leave the room now, Kest wouldn’t push it. This was the only chance he was going to get. And was it worth trying this out? If he was totally honest with himself, he felt closer to Kest than he had to any of the other Greatcoats. They’d been friends long before even becoming Greatcoats. Did that closeness mean his idea would work? Falcio had never considered if he might find a man attractive, rather than a woman. But he had to admit, even if only to himself, that his connection to Kest ran far deeper than mere friendship. He’d never thought about them having sex, but now that the thought had been put into his head…he couldn’t think of anything else.

Standing up and grabbing his sword was barely a conscious thought. He was driven by instinct, feeling, _need_. They pushed him to the door and out of it, heading into the cool night air that made him shiver.

His two friends were both standing outside, talking quietly. Brasti looked up and then walked over to Falcio, stopping just in front of him. “Kest thinks you sparring together will help stop you crying out at those nightmares. I said I’ll stay here. Just in case Kest needs someone to hold him back.” He grinned. “It would be pretty embarrassing if you ended up killed by one of us.”

“Are you planning on keeping score too?” Falcio moved away from the building and began to stretch out his body.

“Well, someone needs to.” Brasti stepped to one side, joining Kest, who wasn’t stretching or otherwise warming up.

It was just another difference to make Kest stand out from them.

Falcio finished warming up and then dropped into a fighting stance, eyeing Kest. He didn’t ask if Brasti knew what this was supposed to be leading up to. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure what answer he’d prefer to hear.

Kest began to circle slowly around him, sword held casually in hand. Falcio turned on his heel to follow the other man’s movements, watching and holding his body tense and at the ready.

It wasn’t clear which of them moved first, but they came together in a clash of blades. Falcio pulled back and spun, taking a blow on his coat before turning back and taking a swing at Kest. His friend blocked the strike and the force of it reverberated down Falcio’s arms.

Kest was the better swordsman and always had been. If they’d been truly training, he would have had Falcio flat on his back several times over. But they weren’t training. And Kest kept pulling back before the blade would have connected. Instead of striking or even tapping with his sword blade, he let his hand brush against Falcio’s shoulder, or chest, or neck.

Despite the constant touching, the training was vigorous and hard enough to leave sweat running down Falcio’s back and down his neck. Taking his cue from his best friend, Falcio touched and stepped into Kest’s personal space as much as the other man did him. And the continual touching and press of their bodies made his own body react in ways that were fairly obvious.

And then Kest grabbed the back of his head, pulled him in and kissed him roughly and hard, with almost bruising force. He bit Falcio’s bottom lip and pushed his tongue into his mouth, hand sliding down Falcio’s back and then pulling the greatcoat off.

The cold night air made him shiver, but then Kest’s mouth was on his again and warmth coursed through his veins. He wrapped his arms around his best friend, gripping hold of the hilt of his sword…and then tensed up when he felt it plucked from his hands.

“I got them,” Brasti said calmly. “I’ll take care of the swords while you do what you need to.”

Falcio would have responded, but Kest’s hands slid up under his shirt and his fingers quested over bare skin. Heat followed where he touched and caressed bare skin. Falcio arched into the other man’s touch and allowed his own hands to roam up and under Kest’s shirt.

The kiss turned harder and deeper and then Kest pulled back. He grabbed Falcio’s arm and led him back into the room, closing the door behind them. Then, he pushed Falcio up against the wall and kissed him, once again with hard, almost bruising force. At the same time, he began tugging at Falcio’s clothes, pulling them free and rubbing his hands over bare skin as each bit was revealed.

It took only seconds for Falcio to return the favour, pulling the clothes off Kest. He broke free of the kiss to catch his breath and Kest’s lips descended onto his neck. He kissed and then gently bit the sensitive skin just above his pulse point.

Without his clothes on, there was no hiding his reactions to Kest’s touches and kisses. He ran his hands down Kest’s back and leaned in to kiss the side of his head, then let out a quiet gasp as the other man’s teeth grazed his neck.

Kest pushed him firmer against the wall, kissing his lips again, then stepped away and walked over to his pack that was on the floor.

While Falcio caught his breath and calmed his racing heart, he watched his best friend take a bottle of oil from his bag and then straighten up and turn round. Catching his eye, Kest said, “You’re going to lay down on the mattress for me.”

“I’m fairly certain you’re not supposed to be giving orders to me.”

Kest shrugged. “I won our fight.”

“Brasti didn’t tell us the score.”

“It’s _me_ , Falcio. I won.” Kest nodded towards the mattress. “You knew what this was leading to when you came outside. There’s no point in pretending otherwise.” He walked over to the mattress and stood by it.

Knowing Kest was right, Falcio walked over to his naked best friend. As soon as he was within reach, Kest kissed him hard and then bore him down onto the bed, rolling them over until he had Falcio pinned to the bed under him.

Wriggling slightly, Falcio tensed up as he felt something brush against his entrance.

Kest pressed a hard kiss to his neck and murmured, “Relax. If you tense up, it’s going to hurt.” He then gently bit where he’d just kissed.

Breathing in deep, Falcio relaxed his tense muscles and groaned quietly as he felt Kest push very slowly inside him. It wasn’t comfortable, not exactly, but it didn’t hurt either. And Kest took his time, going slowly and gently, until he was finally sheathed entirely in Falcio. “How’s that feel?” he murmured into Falcio’s skin.

“Strange.” Falcio wriggled slightly.

“Good or bad?”

“Different.” Falcio breathed in and out, letting himself feel Kest inside him. His best friend’s hips rested against his backside, but Kest wasn’t moving, giving him the chance to get used to the strange feeling. He wriggled a little bit and then said, quietly, “I’m ready.”

Kest didn’t respond with words, but he grasped Falcio’s hips and began to thrust. The movements were slow at first, but it didn’t take long before he started to thrust harder and deeper. His grip was tight on Falcio’s hips, almost tight enough that bruises might form there later.

The groan that escaped Falcio’s lips was long and drawn out as Kest hit a spot inside him that sent pleasure coursing through his veins. His fingers gripped tightly in the mattress as his erection formed and grew.

The thrusts became harder and faster, Kest’s grip tightening even more on Falcio’s waist. He pressed another kiss to Falcio’s neck, then gently nipped with his teeth.

That sent Falcio over the edge. His orgasm ripped through him with greater force than he’d experienced in long memory; perhaps not since Aline. As the waves ended, his whole body slumped underneath his best friend.

Kest’s fingers slowly loosened their hold on Falcio’s hips as he asked, “And how was that?”

“Well, I think you promised to wear me out so that I wouldn’t dream tonight,” Falcio commented. He wriggled slightly under Kest’s body and then glanced back over his shoulder at the other man. “I can’t say I’ve reached that point yet.”

Leaning forward, Kest nipped lightly at Falcio’s lips. “Then I say we’ll just have to do it again. As soon as we’ve both recovered from this first time.”

Falcio felt his body relax. He wasn’t tired out, but he was safe. His best friend was on top of him. And his other closest friend was outside, keeping watch. Tomorrow, he’d wake up paralysed again…but for right now, he would enjoy this time when he was fully in control of himself. Even if he had given a lot of that control to Kest.

** The End **


End file.
